Using- and reusing- the products you buy for longer helps reduce the amount of pollution in our environment.
Single-use plastic in particular can seriously harm the organisms living across the globe, especially in marine environments. When sea turtles, seabirds, fish, and other marine life accidentally ingest or become entangled in plastic, it can result in digestive problems, infection, and death. Tiny microplastics can also pass from fish to humans when we eat them. Marine ecosystems and commercial fishing play a central role in the lives of many Floridians; by making easy swaps in the products you buy, you can help reduce the amount of plastic pollution in Florida!
What’s going on?
Single-use plastics can have devastating effects on the environment and wildlife, especially marine organisms. When seabirds, sea turtles, fish, and other marine life accidentally ingest or become entangled in plastic, it can result in digestive problems, infection, and death. According to a study by researchers at Exeter University, more than 1,000 sea turtles die annually from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic.
Worldwide, people produce 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is single use, meaning it is disposed of almost immediately. This plastic does not decompose and remains in the environment for long periods of time. 91% of all plastic is not recycled, and a vast majority of single use plastic is used for packaging, such as food wrappers and plastic bags, rather than more necessary uses such as surgical gloves or straws for people with disabilities.
Why is it important?
- Reducing plastic use protects our natural resources! Clean water and land free of plastics means a better quality of life for both us and the other organisms on the planet.
- Investing in reusable items can save you money as well. A single reusable water bottle costs less overall than a multitude of disposable ones.
- Reducing demand for single-use plastic reduces production, which could also help cut planet warming carbon emissions!
What you can do
- When it’s time to upgrade things like your water bottle or snack containers, try to invest in non-plastic reusables.
- Glass food containers or beeswax wraps in place of plastic wrap are great ways to reduce single-use plastic waste.
- Buy food in bulk and cook at home more often to easily reduce plastic waste from packaging.
Information from the Natural Resources Defense Council, National Geographic, University of Exeter, Clean Streets Westminster, Ocean Blue Project, United Nations Environment Program, and MIT Climate Portal.